Leclerc: No change to ‘pecking order’ despite Miami upgrade frenzy

As Formula 1 rolls into Miami with an upgrade frenzy rarely seen this early in a season, Charles Leclerc is downplaying the hype.

While rivals have arrived in Miami armed with what some are calling near “new cars,” the Ferrari driver has delivered a blunt reality check: don’t expect the pecking order to be flipped overnight.

After three races and an unusual five-week gap, teams across the grid – including Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing – have unloaded aggressive upgrade packages at the Miami Grand Prix.

The scale of development is so extreme that some outfits are effectively rolling out entirely reworked machines.

Leclerc acknowledges the spectacle – but he’s not convinced it changes much where it matters.

"It's going to be pretty unusual to see so many upgrades across so many different teams at this stage of the season under the new regulations, also given the way the season has been with the five-week break,” he said.

"So I'm pretty sure most teams will have something close to a new car here. Whether it will significantly change the pecking order we’ve seen since the beginning of the year, I doubt it.

"We might see bigger or smaller gaps between some teams, but I don't know. At least for us, McLaren was very close in the last grand prix, and I think this package will make a difference — hopefully in our favour."

Mercedes still the mountain to climb

The real sting in Leclerc’s assessment comes when the focus shifts to Mercedes – the benchmark Ferrari has been chasing. And here, the Monegasque doesn’t sugarcoat it.

"When it comes to catching Mercedes, they were too far ahead for us to close the gap with just what we are bringing here,” he said.

It’s a pointed admission that, despite all the investment, time, and optimism poured into Miami’s upgrade wave, the gap at the front may be more stubborn than teams would like to admit.

Still, Leclerc sees Miami as something more consequential than just another weekend on the calendar. Beneath the skepticism lies an acknowledgment that this moment could quietly shape the rest of the season.

• Read also: Brundle sees ‘big step forward’ for Ferrari and Hamilton in Miami

"It's going to be very interesting," added Leclerc. "I think it will dictate a lot of what happens next, because there will be a new development direction and new thing we might want to explore after the weekend, once we've analysed what the other teams have brough,” he said.

So while the paddock buzzes with talk of breakthroughs and bold gains, Leclerc’s message cuts through the noise: upgrades might shuffle the margins, but the hierarchy at the top – for now – looks stubbornly intact.

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